The tests are aimed at reducing the number and impact of fires at waste management sites by establishing how fires start and spread, as well as the best way of tackling them.
Further waste material fire tests involving solid recovered fuels (SRF), refuse derived fuels (RDF), plastics and tyres are also set to take place at Cory Environmental’s site in Barling, Essex in January.
Carried out last month despite gales forecast across many northern parts of the UK, the controlled wood burns marked the start of the second round of fire tests, following an earlier stage of testing in 2014 at the Fire Protection Association in Gloucestershire (see letsrecycle.com story).
According to WRA executive director Simon Dowson, the remains of hurricane Barney damaged some of the test equipment the night before the tests were due to start.
Nevertheless, the first two full-scale controlled burns took place on 18 and 20 November as planned at Stobart Biomass Ltd’s site at the former airfield Pollington.
These tests had been subject to a number of “delays and setbacks” over past year, including the Pollington site’s unfortunate proximity to the large pile of waste material at Great Heck, which has recently suffered a number of fires (see letsrecycle.com story).
Pollington
Simon Dowson, executive director of the WRA, said: “We are hugely grateful to everyone involved in these tests for their contribution, support, patience and understanding over the past months. In particular I would like to thank the residents of Pollington and Great Heck for allowing these tests to go ahead while they were suffering so much as a consequence of the smoke from the burning abandoned waste tip nearby.
“We hope these fire tests will contribute towards better waste site management regulations which will help prevent others having to suffer the effects of poor waste management in the future.”
Part funded by the WRA, the tests were carried out in conjunction with the London Fire Brigade, the Chief Fire Officers Association, the Environment Agency, the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum (WISH), Public Health England and Stobart Biomass.
“We expect to conclude phase two of the tests in mid-January and from there develop an appropriate position for dealing with waste wood-based fires in conjunction with relevant stakeholders in the near future.”
Andy Hill
WRA chairman
Phase two
WRA chairman Andy Hill, who is also market development director at SUEZ, added: “The WRA is delighted to have been involved in these fire tests, for which wood has been the first waste material tested as a result of close collaboration with the fire services and the EA. We expect to conclude phase two of the tests in mid-January and from there develop an appropriate position for dealing with waste wood-based fires in conjunction with relevant stakeholders in the near future.”
The live waste wood stack burns have been organised in order to both assess safer spacing for piles of material and to establish the flammable properties of material.
They will also look at the effect that rising columns of gas have on fuelling waste fires, wind-current effects, and how different materials burn or smoulder depending on their make-up.
Guidance
The tests come amid widespread concern in the recycling industry – particularly for wood, tyres and organics recyclers – about the impacts of limits for maximum wood stack sizes outlined in current Environment Agency Fire Prevention Plan (FPP) guidance, which is currently up for consultation.
Both the WRA – which has previously described the FPP guidance as “inoperable” – and the Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) have called for amendments to the Agency guidance (see letsrecycle.com story).
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